WASHINGTON – Dec. 21, 2010 (Saving Seafood) — Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Scott Brown today met with Department of Commerce General Counsel Cameron Kerry to push for action on catch level concerns, and other NOAA regulatory efforts negatively impacting the domestic fishing industry.
After praising today's passing of the International Fisheries Clarification Act by the House following Monday's Senate approval as a hard fought, "major breakthrough" for northeastern fishing interests, Frank told Saving Seafood that the meeting focused at least partly on the "environmental situation" and outstanding regulatory issues regarding catch limits.
In addition, Rep. Frank said that he and Sen. Brown pushed Mr. Kerry for quicker action on the outstanding NOAA enforcement cases overseen by former enforcement chief Dale Jones that remain under review. The lawmakers were assured that despite still working for the agency, Mr. Jones' work is focused on issues related to the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
"He (Mr. Kerry) did tell us that Dale Jones is not working on anything to do with fisheries," said Rep. Frank.
Senator Brown confirmed his attendance at the meeting, but declined to comment. The Department of Commerce did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
Rep. Frank expressed dismay about the "miscommunication" between Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on outstanding catch level relief. He indicated that a major problem regarding efforts by Gov. Patrick, himself and other lawmakers to convince NOAA to provide further relief to the battered fishing industry is that each side assumes the ball is in the other's court.
"I've spoken to the Secretary and the Governor and there apparently has been some miscommunication at the staff level," said Frank. "I have got to get them to sit in the same room."